In August 2024, Marcos Campos of Portugal’s National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) carried out a Short-Term Scientific Mission (STSM) in Sardinia, focused on improving wildfire management through the exchange of knowledge and technology. The mission took this exchange in the opposite direction from many others: from an operational analyst in Portugal to firefighting teams elsewhere in Europe.
Observing the system
Marcos visited key regional firefighting centres to understand their decision-making, data collection and fire analysis. He observed that the Sardinian system lacked a dedicated wildfire analyst and comprehensive field data collection, limiting informed real-time decisions during fires.
New tools
To address these gaps, he introduced the NERO data collection app for real-time gathering of field data, improving coordination and decision-making. Several firefighting teams agreed to test it during the fire season. He also developed a digital tool to replace daily paper reporting, streamlining data collection and analysis.
Lasting partnerships
Exchanges with Sardinia’s fire analysis and use teams (GAUF) covered suppression and analysis techniques, and the teams expressed interest in adopting methods used in Portugal. The mission laid the foundations for an ongoing partnership between Portuguese and Sardinian teams.
About the grant
| Grantee | Marcos Campos |
| Home institution | National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC), Portugal |
| Host | Corpo Forestale e di Vigilanza Ambientale (CFVA), Sardinia, Italy |
| Dates | 15–30 August 2024 |
| Grant type | Short-Term Scientific Mission |
This grant was funded by COST Action CA22164 – European Network on Extreme Fire Behaviour (NERO), supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology).
